In August
Weirdigans became a group member of the Green Gathering Charity, and
last month Em took the plunge into being a Green Gathering director.
Dave volunteered to be entertainment co-ordinator and to build a new GG
website; Em's spent the last few weeks adding content. Busy busy.

Check out
the new (still to be tweaked) website: www.greengathering.org.uk,
and follow us on Twitter @Gathering_Green. There's a facebook page too,
but other GG folks are looking after that.

Earlybird
tickets to the Green Gathering are only £70... Be great to see
you there. We'll still be doing the cafe, right next to the Speakers'
Forum.

SEPTEMBER
2013

NEWSFLASH!!!
--- We're back in Hebden & will be updating this website soon!

Protesting
against the Bexhill-Hastings link road, Combe Haven Defenders
are holed up in tunnels and enjoying the views of the valley in sturdy
treehouses. There's a ground-level camp too, a camp-kitchen and compost
loo. They're looking for support, of the live-in and drop-by
variety.

GM foods are
also looking like making a comeback; corporate lobbyists are desperate
for the cash and it's got nothing to do with feeding the needy. Check The
Ecologist and GMWatch
for details.

On a more
positive note, 'Real Farming' is also making a comeback: rallying
resistance to industrial farming which strips soil, poisons land and
alienates communities; calling for access to land as the first
step to real food security: www.oxfordrealfarmingconference.org

NEWSFLASH!!!
- Land & Freedom Gathering ; Up The Anti-Reclaim the Future -

More events if you're in, or can get, 'down
South' ;)

Nov 24: Land
& Freedom Gathering at Runnymede Eco-Village, with the
Diggers2102: workshops in traditional crafts & permaculture, talks
and discussions on land rights and planning law, spoken word and music
jam, bicycle-powered cinema.

Dec 1: 'Up The Anti - Reclaim The
Future' at St Mary Uni, London: How might we bring about radical
change and create the future we want? Loads of talks, discussions and
workshops, followed by music & comedy gig.

The
Festival of Resistance, 20-22 July, Devon (never been to this one
before and there'll be no Weirdigans here but the Anarchists Tea Pot
will keep the brews brewing, Em Weirdigan will be spreading the Occupy
word and it sounds like it might be good!).

Inspiring,
moving, incredible. A temporary village in the heart of London,
complete with:
info tent; health-and-safety-certified kitchen (run by a flamboyant
Italian chef who feeds several hundred people three times a day -
campers and bankers alike); Tent City University for talks, lectures,
debates and workshops; a library; a press tent; a
tea tent;
internal indy-media; the 'Occupied Times' newspaper office; a legal
advisory; first aid crew; a free shop (aka Tent City Surplus); a tech
team (power provision and web presence); a piano; an International
Commission liasing with the Occupy movement around the world; a
Tranquility Team who ensure the camp remains a safe and peaceful place;
a recycling crew; scheduled events and entertainments; an Outreach team
who liase with and support like-minded groups and engage with the
general public; internal health-and-safety officers; twice-daily
General Assemblies (true democracy in action); a faith-liasion team;
direct action and environment groups; a finance group
(handling camp expenses and donations); a meditation tent and the
infamous Occupy London FC ("football for change!")...

This
is absolutely not a bunch of lazy layabouts sitting around in tents.
Rather, it's a micro version of the kind of society the Occupiers would
like to see replicated in the wider world. Inclusive, truly democratic,
compassionate, ethical, inspirational, honest. The Occupiers are a
diverse bunch with a wide variety of backgrounds, beliefs and
priorities. What they have in common is the knowledge that the way
we've been running things - nationally, globally, politically,
financially, socially - is wrong... plus a passionate belief that
"another way is possible". The Occupiers agree that a change in values
is required - we need to start putting people and planet before profit.
This means nothing less than a severe shake-up and restructuring
of our political, financial and social systems.

A
tall order? Yes, but the Occupiers believe we're worth it and we can do
it. How? That's the big question and Occupy LSX does not pretend to
have all the answers, although the incredible rate at which the
protestors are educating and applying themselves (skill-shares,
knowledge exchange, debates, lectures and workshops happen 24/7 at the
camp) means that possible solutions are beginning to emerge. The
Occupiers want a transparent and truly democratic decision-making
process; an end to corporations and financial institutions that are
more powerful than governments and 'too
big too fail'; an end to oppression of majorities by unaccountable
elite minorities. The camp's International Commission is working with
the Occupy Movement worldwide because in an increasingly globalised
world the solutions have to be co-ordinated on a grand scale. They are
doing it for us, the public, the "99%". All power to them.... and to
us.

THE
'OCCUPY' MOVEMENT ---

We
are the 99%...
Interesting times, economically and politically.
Check out OccupyLSX

Some
Weirdigans are off to London to camp out... to protest against
corruption and greed in politics and the financial sector; to demand
that people and planet come before profit; to speak up the only way we
can because democracy - representation of the people by government -
seems to have gone awry...

THE NEW
WEBSITE ---

Well,
I think it's revamped and ready to go. It's supposed
to be informative rather than flashy; more
like a newspaper or magazine than an all-singing-&-dancing example
of what the internet can do (obviously!).
There are more
easily-accessible photos on it now, including plenty from this year's
adventures. There's also more info on how all the parts, branches and
off-spring of Weirdigans work and fit together... we're not just a cafe
anymore, that's for sure! Please feel
free to email and comment on the website, let us know about broken
links etc.

Camp with
non-violent-protest training over a long weekend, culminating in
blockade at Hinkley Point, planned site of new nuclear reactors. If
you'd rather see research and funds going towards sustainable energy
production, join the blockade or pledge support for the campaign.
Nuclear isn't clean. See Fukushima. It isn't cheap either.www.stopnewnuclear.org.ukFor a
credible alternative, we need a combination of renewables... here's one
with a lot of potential: www.yes2wind.com

NEWSFLASH!!!
--- In disguise at Alchemy ---

Not
quite ready to finish the season...
Some of us will be at Alchemy,
disguised as an LED installation and 'Ideal Dome Exhibition'. We'll
have advice and info on LEDs
and on domes... Recognise
us by the twinkly lights and small selection of Weirdigan carpets ;)

TGG
will be held at Piercefield Park near Chepstow, Monmouthshire.
Apparently the site is surrounded by woodlands, standing stones,
ancient earthworks, gorgoeous gorges and dingly dells. The
dates are 28-31 July, so that's four nights of camping,
sustainably-powered entertainment and ecological enlightenment... in an
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty overlooking the Wye Valley. Tickets
are £90 for adults, free for kids under 12 (parking charges are
extra - but they'll be laying on buses from the local train station).
more info & ticketsMAY
2011NEWSFLASH!!!
--- A Share in an Organic
Farm!!! ---

Become
a Co-Owner in a Community-Based Food Co-operative - we have!

'Growing
with Grace' is a wonderful project, a co-operative farm
dedicated to sustainability and
equality. Green waste
from local residents is composted on site, tractors are run on
biodiesel made
on site by the village community co-op. The farm has one of the only
forest gardens under glass
in the country - two acres of glasshouse space, which in North
Yorkshire is gold dust!

GwG needs
investment to continue and is offering shares at £1 each (minimum
investment of £100). All the details and more about the project
can be found at: www.growingwithgrace.org.uk

NEWSFLASH!!!
--- "Skill Up for Power Down" ---

£75
early-bird tickets for TGG (The 2011 Green Gathering) will be on sale
for just a week or so longer. Full price tickets will be
£90.

NEWSFLASH!!!
--- Renewables could power 80% of
world's needs by 2050---

Good
news for once: The IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change)
has released a report stating that it is feasible to aim for
powering the world's energy needs via sustainable resources. It can be
done... but governments need constant pressure to keep on the case. It
won't be cheap... but then nuclear power stations aren't cheap and nor
are wars... IPCC press release

APRIL
2011NEWSFLASH!!!
--- Greenpeace scaled
and occupied an oil rig heading to the Arctic ---

This festival follows in a
tradition of environmentally and
ethically conscious events; Green Gatherings that have been running for
more than 30 years, growing from seed-like
beginnings, promoting future technologies, showcasing alternative
ways of life and inspiring thousands of festival-goers to live more
sustainable lives.

This year's Green
Gathering will combine education with entertainment; will encourage
us to look at what we've learnt and where we're going; will show us
how to become less wasteful and more self-reliant. Powered by
renewable energy, it will host ethical markets, expert speakers and
underground films, music and cabaret stages, organic
cafes, holistic therapies, traditional crafts plus an
abundance
of workshops and esoteric alternatives.

A Transition Zone,
based
around the Transition Towns movement, will provide a platform for
networking and skill-sharing. Groups from around Britain who are
working to enhance community and the environment - while raising
awareness of climate change and the limitations of oil - will be
showcasing their initiatives here.

The
Green Gathering will be a family-friendly event with a creative,
energetic children’s area. There will be serious messages and
serious amounts of fun for all ages. The Gathering aims to be 100%
inclusive and accessible; there will be a dedicated team able to
assist with additional and specialised needs.

This Gathering will have a
capacity of 5000 and will be a more relaxed and intimate affair than
some of the Green events of latter years. BGG distilled to its
essence, perhaps...

Bayer
managed to repeatedly contaminate American rice supplies with
experimental Genetically Modified rice, to the extent that this
unapproved rice strain was 'accidentally' imported into at least 24
countries. Bayer have been ordered to pay 136 million US dollars in
damages... which will hopefully hurt them at least a little bit and
make all biotech companies take more care in future.

One
worry is that these companies don't care - perhaps even welcome -
contamination, in that it will eventually let them say - 'well, GM is
everywhere now so we may as well just open the floodgates'.

Greenpeace
need a
new Rainbow
Warriorand
are raising funds to build one: go to the online ship-shop
and pay for a piece... knowing that it'll be used to
to fight pollution and climate change, to
defend forests and oceans.

You
can buy a bolt for a euro, a desalinator for 7000 euros... and a lot of
other things for prices inbetween. Weirdigans just bought part of
the anchor chain.

This
month we'll begin putting together a crew for the 2011 season. If
you're interested have a look at this
and get in touch soon...

NOVEMBER
2010

NEWSFLASH
--- Website Update ---

The
web-elf has just completed updating this website. If you spot any
mistakes, broken links etc, please let us know: elf@weirdigans.co.uk

RECOMMENDATION!!
--- 'The Yes
Men Fix the World' ---

This
is a good documentary film - positive and scary and funny and
cringeworthy all at once. Find out more and order a
copy on the Yes Menwebsite.

OCTOBER
2010

RUMOUR!!!
--- 'Big Green Resurgence'---

Looks
like the Big Green Gathering might be back in 2011.
Watch this space... (with fingers crossed).

SEPTEMBER
2010

NEWSFLASH
--- 'Crude Awakening' Oct 16th
---

If you want to work
towards a future - a positive, post-oil future - here's a chance to get
involved, take direct action, try to make a difference:
Sign up to get info on how you can join in this day of action www.crudeawakening.org.uk

...Will be updating the
website over the next couple of days - pop back soon for Reviews,
Photos, Comments, News, and the lowdown on
What-it-takes-to-become-a-Weirdigan...

AUGUST
2010

NEWSFLASH
--- Get your Tickets! ---

Tickets
for Solfest
are selling fast - only a couple of hundred left a week before this
fantastic festie starts so don't delay - at the moment (Sat 21st)
you can still get them online at www.solwayfestival.co.uk

Tickets
forEden Festival
are also flying out - only three hundred left and it's still two weeks
away. They are planning to have some available at the gate but grab
them now if you want to be sure. www.edenfestival.co.uk

And to
round off the season... the wee little Cumbrian festie MACfest
(Mostly Acoustic Cumbria; 10th & 11th September) has 'early bird'
tickets available until the end of the month - only £30 from www.mostlyacousticcumbria.co.uk/macfest.

Get
your tickets and see us on our
Northern Tour!

JULY
2010

NEWSFLASH
--- GM food is creeping back ---

Check
out www.gmfreeze.org for
what's going on and what you can do to help halt the creep.

NEWSFLASH
--- JUST RECEIVED THIS FROM
GREENPEACE: Do it!!! ---

Top
10 ways for the
average person to reduce oil consumption in their daily lives:

1.
Carpool, cycle or use
public transport to go to work.

2.
Choose when possible
products packaged without plastic and recycle or re-use containers.

3.
Buy organic fruits and
vegetables (fertilisers and pesticides are based on oil more often than
not).

Sign the petition aiming to get
world leaders to put solar panels on their roofs: www.putsolaron.it

JUNE
2010

Great
news!!! - Our signs have been found and should be
returning home next week. Huge thanks to 'Scottish
Stuart' for finding and promising to return them.

HELP US SOLVE A
MYSTERY!!! - disappearing
'sandwich' board & mug sign -Knockengorroch festival was
marvellous in all ways but one: our beloved 'sandwich board' sign -
which advertises Weirdigans home-baked cake, cosy carpets &
solar-power - disappeared.
We
made this sign in the early days of Weirdigans and it's been part of
our set-up for 6 years. We're completely gutted to have lost
it and hereby announce an amnesty: please
bring it back!
A brand-new orange mug sign, hand-crafted
by Smiley D, also went walkabout -
we'd like that back too :)If
you know the whereabouts of these
things, PLEASE let us know.

MAY
2010

NEWSFLASH
--- ANOTHER campaign to make
your vote count in the future ---

Just heard that the EU have given in and
are planning on allowing more GMO trials.
Please sign this petition to help fight this.
If a million people sign, apparently the EU will have to take notice.www.avaaz.org/en/eu_health_and_biodiversity

At
the beginning of the season we have our old favourite: Knockengorroch's
World Ceilidh.
It'll be our 10th 'Knock' so we might have to bake ourselves a birthday
cake...
Line-up highlights are rumoured to include The Ukranians (infectious
folk-punk that compels one to dance), The Beat (compelling ska that
infects one with dance) and Eat Static (...).

At
the end of the season, there's a new adventure for Weirdigans: Eden
Festival near Dumfries. This year the Eden crew have got a better site
(drainage, decent tracks, mobile reception, plenty of parking) and
they're planning a brand new solar-powered, family-friendly Green Field
(which is where we'll be, doing the Acoustic WierdSpace). All
this in addition to the great mix of folk, dance
and chill-out that they concocted last year. Join us there...

FEB
2010

NEWSFLASH
--- 'Mama Weirdigans' Hostel due to open May 1st!!! ---

A new adventure for Weirdigans!

Last
Spring we noticed that a
lovely Grade-II listed building, nestled into woodland on a hillside in
Hebden Bridge, was
empty. We sat in the sun outside it, picnicking, musing on what someone
could do with it. A hostel, we thought. Affordable accommodation for
hikers, travellers, backpackers; there's nothing like that in Hebden,
we thought, even though it's a very special place.

The
'Glastonbury of the North', Hebden Bridge has been dubbed; and '4th
funkiest town in the World', according to the Guardian; and 'one of the
best towns in the UK for quirky, independent local shops'; plus the
Calder Valley, in which
Hebden is situated, has one of the densest networks of footpaths
in the
country; and there are two fantastic live music venues - The Trades
Club and Hole Int' Wall - after which folk might like to stay
over.

Someone
should rent this building and set it up as an Independent Hostel, we
said.
Hmm... Someone like us, perhaps?
After six months of negotiations our bid to rent the place has been
accepted.

We'll
still be doing Weirdigans Cafe at festivals - plus LEDfantastic workshops and
installations - but we'll be staying home more too and will
share looking after Hebden Bridge Hostel (aka Mama Weirdigans) amongst the
core Weirdigan crew.

We'll
be opening the hostel at Beltane; come to the Open Day Launch on Sat
May 1st...

If
you've never been to Hebden Bridge it's in West Yorkshire; you'll find
it on the Leeds-Manchester trainline; it's at the tail-end of the
Pennines, has a river and a canal, a vibrant music and arts scene, an
Alternative Technology Centre and plenty
of valleys and trees.

NEWSFLASH
--- Greenpeace buys land in proposed Heathrow 'Third Runway' Site ---
...And we're now part owners of it!!! Become a 'beneficial
owner' yourself...

And to find out about future Greenpeace actions, sign up to be an 'online
activist'...

And to fight the Genetically-Modified threat to world rice crops... petition
here.

NEWSFLASH
--- Sharing Inspiration ---

A
new addition to this website - check out the 'Inspiration'
page. These
books, films, music, people and things have inspired at least one
Weirdigan at some point in their lives. There's a mixture of
environmental, fun, fantasy, practical,
spiritual, political, creative, adventuresome, psychedelic,
humanitarian, cultural and sub-cultural stuff ... something to
suit most people and plenty to browse through... Enjoy & Be
Inspired!

Silver
lining?: the poor deal means big players are less likely to invest
in 'clean' technologies such as nuclear power stations and
'carbon-capture' coal plants... which were perhaps not such a good idea
anyway... what we need to do is reduce our power needs so that we can
achieve them through real clean sources like solar and wind, then we
won't need nuclear and carbon-capture (both of which just hide the mess
they make for future generations to deal with).

NEWSFLASH --- Copenhagan Climate
Talks ---To find out what's going on in Copenhagan, check out
www.ageofstupid.net/stupid-showFranny
Armstrong (Director of the climate change call-to-action film 'Age of
Stupid') is presenting live every evening this week (7pm UK time) plus
there's loads of archived interviews and other interesting stuff to
browse through. To sign an international petition urging the world's
leaders to take robust action on cutting emissions go to www.avaaz.org/en/save_copenhagen/
Over 11 million people have signed so far, they're aiming for 15
million.

NEWSFLASH --- Hebden Bridge LED
Workshops Update ---

22 people
turned up and made things! Go to
the ledfantasticwebsite for more info and
photos. NEWSFLASH --- Cumbrian Workshop
Success ---The LED Workshop in Cumbria was attended by 18
people. Wal &
Ruth Wierdstring did a brilliant job of hosting the space
while Dave, Em & Imogen Weirdigan facilitated the workshop.
James Wierdstring brought along his woodstove to keep us cosy, Ruth
provided a sumptuous lunch and Paddy Wierdstring turned up after work
to serenade us. Sasha Wierdstring made an anglepoise spotlight for her
van. Other LED projects over the weekend included: lighting for Wal's
barn; infra-red illumination for doing bat-surveys (part of a Protected
Species Management project); a flashing dog-collar so Evie can keep
track of her black hound on dark nights; tiny, twinkly LEDs woven into
a festive scarf by Kate; cabinet-lighting for furniture-makers; yurt
and van lighting; and a revamp of an old-fashioned torch. Photos here.

NOV
2009

NEWSFLASH --- 2 more
LEDfantastic Workshops ---

If
you'd like to learn how to wire and solder low-energy LEDs into
customised designs, come to one of Dave Weirdigan's workshops. Make
yourself some fairy-lights; a torch or spotlight; or design some
glowing decor for your home, your hat or your van. Dave's website
has more details, including photos of previous workshops and
designs.

Dates & Places:
Saturday 12th Dec in Cumbria; Sunday 20th Dec in Hebden
Bridge.
Places are limited so you need to book in advance. No experience
necessary.
The Cumbrian workshop costs £5 and includes lunch. The Hebden
Bridge workshop costs £3.
In both cases participants pay for the LEDs and parts used - usually
between £3 & £20.
Feel free to bring costumes and artworks to adorn... or come
empty-handed and see what you can make from scratch.

NEWSFLASH --- Age of
Stupid - Watch it! ---

The Age of Stupid
documentary has gone global. If you haven't seen it already, you
must!
You can arrange to have a copy of the film posted out for you to hold
your own screening:
we Weirdigans watched it in the studio of our local Housing Co-op. Or
get online and find out when there's a screening near you.

This
month plans for both the new Eon coal-fired power station at
Kingsnorth and the
3rd runway at Heathrow have been 'delayed'. Hooray! Pressure from
Climate Camp and other activists obviously had nothing to do with
this... :) Seewww.indymedia.org.ukfor more info.

Meanwhile,
if you want to do something to convince the politicians to get some
serious environmental plans in place at the Copenhagen summit in
December - or if you just want to raise awareness, put pressure on
polluters and delay a few more undesirable plans - there seem to be
hordes of actions in the pipeline. There's the 10:10 campaign (pledge
to reduce your carbon footprint by 10% in 2010); 350.org (international
day of action on Oct 24th); 100 months (countdown to disaster, but with
a positive spin); avaaz.org (a voice for the people)...
and then there's Climate Camp... www.climatecamp.org.uk

SEPT
2009

NEWSFLASH --- UK
Festival Awards:
Support needed!!! ---

Our
very
own Wierdstring Band
have been nominated in the 'Critics
Choice'
category!
(For their Solfest Ceilidh in particular).
It wasn't we who nominated them but we'd really like everyone to vote
for them. www.festivalawards.com
Knockengorroch has been nominated in the 'best small
festival' and 'best grassroots' categories and Solfest in the
'family friendly' and 'clean loos' categories. Go on, vote for them,
too... :-)

NEWSFLASH --- Doonhame
Hairth marks the end of Autumn 'Knock'---

Just
returned from the last festival of the season with the sad tidings that
this was the last Hairth (aka Autumn Knockengorroch). The
energy
and
resources required to put on two festivals a year are
mammoth... after 10 years the Knockengorroch family have
decided
to give
themselves a break and concentrate on the World Ceilidh that happens
every May on the same magical site. Yes, they were toying with the idea
last year then pulled out the stops for one last Hairth... but this
time I think they really do mean it. Those of us who love the way Knock
'bookends' the season will be disappointed... but I understand the
logic. The May festival is always busier and usually warmer; while
being just as friendly, it is embued with the fresh energy of
the
Season's beginning. In 2010 it will probably be better than ever. Dates
are May 27-30 (it's late May bank holiday weekend). Put it in your
diary now!

AUG
2009

NEWSFLASH --- LEDfantastic Workshops in Hebden Bridge ---

Continuing
the sparkly-lights theme, Dave Weirdigan will be hosting 2 workshops at
the Alternative Technology Centre in Hebden (Hebble End, beside the
canal) on Saturday 22 August. Learn how to make low-energy LED torches,
fairy lights, spotlights and more. Contact the ATC
to book a place. There's only a few left but if you miss out this time,
there'll be more workshops at the ATC in the Autumn, or contact Dave if
you'd like to arrange a workshop in your area.

Following
the success of Dave's LED workshops at Glastonbury we're going
to do a repeat performance at the Croissant Neuf Summer
Party
(August 14-16). Discounted tickets are available for disappointed BGG
ticket-holders. Looks like a lovely little festival with quirky funky
music and totally eco-credentials. Unfortunately
the Party has enough food vendors and doesn't need Weirdigans Cafe, but
you'll find a slimmed-down version of us hosting workshops in our
green-and-white
'medieval pavilion' tent covered in sparkly-lights.
The Wierdstring
Band will be there too!

JULY
2009

NEWSFLASH! --- BIG
GREEN GATHERING CANCELLED ---

The
news is still sinking in. It's quite surreal and devastating for us,
with BGG being such an important and beloved part of our nomadic
circuit. So many people affected on so many levels. Hundreds of small
Green businesses like us are taking a HUGE knock. Rumours
fly as
to what exactly went wrong. The BGG website
has an obviously rushed but detailed explanation (see their front page
and 'BGG answers the council' page). SCHNEWS
has a very thoughtful and thought-provoking article, although as more
facts emerge it may become a little out-of-date.

JUNE
2009

NEWSFLASH!!! ---
Acoustic 'WeirdSpace' at Workhouse Festival ---

We've
just had confirmation that we'll be hosting an Acoustic Tent adjacent
to the Cafe at Workhouse. The WeirdSpace
will be showcasing bands,
musicians, poets and entertainers in 'Totally Unplugged' performances
as well as encouraging folksy sessions and friendly jams. --Calling all you
Musicians!!!-- Please
come and see us at Workhouse to book a slot or just join in.
Non-musicians: Come along, soak up the tunes, support the performers
and dance your socks off!

NEWSFLASH!!! --- The
Hairth Returns!!! ---

Knockengorroch
Festival will be returning this September (despite rumours to the
contrary) as 'The Doonhame Hairth'. There'll be more emphasis on
acoustic, folky and rootsy music plus off-beat Cabaret performances.
Peatbog Faeries, 3 Daft Monkeys and Bombskare are booked and
the line-up for the amazing new turf-roofed Main Stage is growing.
Proceeds will be going towards making the
Knockengorroch site more eco and sustainable. Buying a ticket entitles
you to become a 'Doonhame Friend', so you can feel really good about
the
contribution you're making to the continuation of this most earthy,
wilderness-festival... www.knockengorroch.org.uk

Smiley
Dave will be running two LED workshops at the ATC on Saturday, May
30th. His website
is currently being built by sometime-Weirdigan Flanny (and is hosted,
like the Weirdigans site, by Green
ISP). Check out the fledgling www.LEDfantastic.com
or contact smileyd@LEDfantastic.com
for more
info about
Dave's workshops and LED installations.

APRIL
2009

NEWSFLASH!!!
---
LEDfantastic at
Glastonbury!!! ---

Smiley
Dave will be hosting LED workshops in the Green Crafts Field at
Glastonbury this year.LEDs
are the Greenest lights available – extremely low energy and
very
long-lasting. The workshops will consist of
an
introduction to LEDs, a demonstration and a practical
session in which you can build your own
reading light, torch, fairy lights or spotlight to take away.
In
the evenings there'll be lots of pretty lights and Weirdigans-stylee
chai and truffles...

NEWSFLASH!!!
---
Beltane
Celebration at Thornborough Henge ---

On
Sunday 3rd May there’ll be a Beltane celebration/ chance to
dress up
and have a picnic/ outdoor theatre performance/ family day out at
Thornborough Henge near Ripon, North Yorks. Entry is free and this year
there’s free
camping on the Saturday and Sunday nights at a really special site
nearby.
We'll be serving drinks and cakes inside the amazing, ancient
circular earthworks at
The Henge
on the Sunday. www.sacredbrigantia.com
for more info and to
book a place at the campsite (you need to do this even though
it’s free).

NEWSFLASH!!!
--- Big
Green Gathering Tickets On Sale Now!!! ---

BGG
has climbed out of the financial doldrums and is on track for a
fantastic festival this August. Buy tickets NOW to help BGG build the
infrastructure for
the Biggest, Greenest Party
on the Planet (imho).
Check
out the website for more info, ticket prices and the office address.
You can also help out by becoming a Shareholder... we have.www.big-green-gathering.com

NEWSFLASH!!!
--- The
Lammas Project needs your support ---

The Lammas
Project
is a voluntary organisation that has been working to promote low impact
eco-housing for the last three years. Click the link to go to their
website, see pictures of a delicious hobbit-home, read the story and
add your support to the campaign...

MARCH
2009

NEWSFLASH!!!
--- Light Fantastic: LEDs are the future ---

Smiley
Dave spent the winter experimenting with LEDs (very low-energy
lights) and is so enthusiastic that he's created a new project
– Light Fantastic – to spread the word. He's going
to
be running workshops and fitting out vans, boats and low-impact
dwellings with 12-volt LEDs. Beautiful, practical, ever-lasting and
very Green... see LEDs in action at Weirdigans... or email dave@weirdigans.co.uk
for more info.

NEWSFLASH!!!
--- End
Airport Expansion - It's Plane Obvious ---

It's
becoming a ritual for a Weirdigan to get arrested at an environmental
protest every Spring. This year it was Imogen camping in Southampton
airport with other members of Plane Stupid (www.planestupid.com)
to protest
against its expansion. She was arrested and taken to court; we
supplied her with a shining character reference and she was let off
with a fine rather than a fine and community service. How ironic
would that be, community service as a punishment for doing something
that many would consider to be a service to the community?...

FEBRUARY
2009

NEWSFLASH!!!
--- We've changed our website and email host ---

...To
a 'Green ISP'. They have solar-powered offices and bicycle-powered
techies, are involved in tree-planting projects and much more. Check
them out at www.greenisp.net
Our website and email addresses haven't changed, but if you've emailed
us recently and haven't received a reply it may be due to a blip
during the transition. Please try again. Thanks!

JANUARY
2009

NEWSFLASH!!!
--- Big
Green Gathering 2009 ---

BGG
will be back, Bigger and Greener, the first weekend in August on an
organic farm near Cheddar. Weirdigans will be perched on our usual
little hillock under the beech tree at the junction between Markets and
Campaigns. Please come and see us :)

NEWSFLASH!!!
--- We
need your help ---

Now
is the time we start planning the 2009 Weirdigan Tour.
If you like our chai, our cakes and our carpets - email us and tell us
where you'd like to see us this year. Then email the festival about how
great and special we are, and get on
the forums raving about us. You could just swing the decisions we and
festie organisers will be making this month...
Cheers! ;-)

DECEMBER
2008

NEWSFLASH!!!
--- Would you like to be a Weirdigan next summer??? ---

We're on the
lookout again for new crew to join the merry band of cavorting Weirdies
you've seen in green and muddy fields the last few years.

If you can wash
up, make tea, bang
in tent pegs, heft heavy canvasses, bake cakes, stay up all
night, plant plastic flowers, get up early in the morning,
scrub
floors while wearing sequins, banter with customers, chop veg... or
think you'd enjoy some of the above... then you may be who we're
looking for.

If the idea
tickles you... email us, tell us about yourself, and we'll tell you
more about us :)

NOVEMBER
2008

NEWSFLASH!!!
--- Weirdigans Go On Holiday ---

We tend to
hibernate for a bit in the Winter. We'll
still be pottering around in the background - mending, mopping up,
preparing for next year - but may be a bit slower than usual
responding to emails and phone calls. We haven't disappeared and will
get back to you before too long, so keep in touch. See you in
Spring!

OCTOBER
2008

NEWSFLASH!!!
--- Wierdstring
Band at The Workhouse ---

Weirdigans
favourite musos The Wierdstring Band will be playing at The Workhouse,
Llanfyllin - same location as The Workhouse Festival - on Friday Nov
7th. They are appearing as part of an eclectic 'Funk-It' night, one of
many Workhouse events aimed at filling this crazy old building with
fun, noise and life - while raising funds to help renovate it. Poolside
Tricks, a local dancey street-reggae band, will also be playing.
Tickets £6.
Contact The Workhouse on 01691 649062 or go to www.llanfyllinworkhouse.org
Also, check out www.wierdstring.co.uk
(and their myspace)

NEWSFLASH!!!
---
Big Green
Gathering 2009!! ---

The
Big Green Gathering will be back
in 2009. Tickets
are now on sale!

BGG
still needs financial help. Become a shareholder - you can then get
involved in how BGG runs. Or send a donation or offer a
loan. And buy your tickets early!

NEWSFLASH!!!
---
Sign up
to 'One Hundred Months' - we did ---

'One
Hundred Months' is a
concerted effort to get individuals and organisations working
together to reduce carbon emissions and halt climate change
before we reach the 'tipping point' of no return... in collaboration
with The Guardian and with a combination of serious scientific reports
and simple actions we can all take... CHECK THIS
OUT. www.onehundredmonths.org

NEWSFLASH!!!
---
The
Weirdigans Website is all Up-to-Date ---

We've
updated pretty much everything, from the crew photos to the Blog to the
wishlist.
Have a browse and let us know if anything is old, wrong or not working.
Ta :-)
Contact elf@weirdigans.co.uk

SEPTEMBER 2008

NEWSFLASH!!!
---
The
Hairth at Knockengorroch goes back to it's Roots ---

The
Autumn
Knockengorroch Festival is down-sizing; next year it will be a cosy
gathering of 500 people. This will enable costs to be kept down by
avoiding some of the licensing and security issues that arise
at
bigger festivals. It will enable more energy and money to be put into a
full-scale Spring World Ceilidh while ensuring that the quieter
September Knockengorroch isn't lost to the die-hards who love this
friendly, folky, fire-side, end-of-season party... If you want to put a
deposit down and be sure of getting a ticket (about 200 people have
done so already), contact info@knockengorroch.org.uk

AUGUST
2008

NEWSFLASH!!!
---
Weirdigans brings you: Pizza Acoustica!!! ---

We're
heading off to
the Northern Green Gathering at Lime Tree Farm with some new
treats up our Weird(card)igan
sleeves...

We've
teemed up with
baker Michael, his glamorous partner Jan, and their traditional
wood-fired oven... so we'll be serving up freshly-baked
Organic
Pizza at NGG.

We're also in cahoots with Banjo Bill from Cumbria and some of his
musician friends, who will be entertaining with unplugged performances
and encouraging acoustic musicians to join in late night sessions in
Weirdigans Acoustic Annexe.

Our favourites The Wierdstring Band will be at NGG, as will our very
own Kristen and his newly-acquired antique accordion... so musically
things should be very interesting...

Limited tickets still available - See you there!

JULY
2008

NEWSFLASH!!!
---
The
Mutant Returns! Genetically Modified Secrets ---

Two
GM trials were given the go-ahead by the UK Government this year. One
has been shut down by protesters. The other is still going on in
Cambridgeshire, behind high fences with 24-hour security
guards
protecting it at vast cost.

Since
2000, almost all of the 54 GM trials licensed have been attacked by
groups and individuals who want to protect our environment, wildlife,
health and organic crops from potential threat by GM. But still the big
companies, the government and some scientists press on. Now they're
talking about having secret test sites, in an attempt to thwart
protests. Breaking their own rules so that they don't have to listen to
the public and democracy can be dodged.

Please
stay vigilant and don't let them get away with it. Small local farmers,
organic growers and bee-keepers risk losing their livelihoods; we all
risk losing our right to choose. GM crops are massive in the US; the
experience hasn't been all good and could yet prove devastating. Help
us keep this corner of the planet clean.... Ta x
www.gmwatch.eu

JUNE
2008

NEWSFLASH!!!
---
Feeling
the pinch? Try Collaboration ---

So
many festivals have sprung up over the last few years. Small spin-offs
of big festivals; festie
cafes and venues putting on their own events; Northern gatherings
mirroring the Southern ones; campaigning groups doing camps; 'Boutique'
fests with
their luxury dwellings (no nylon nightmare necessary); commercial,
sponsorship-ridden events; plus lots of stuff going
on in the rest of Europe.

Increasingly,
though, festivals are under pressure from various sources. Councils
putting up licence fees, ever more stringent Health & Safety
regulations, climate chaos (mudslides at Glade, flashfloods at Sunrise)
and... well, perhaps there's just too many of them and not enough happy
punters to go round. Diversification can be fun but not if
it fragments the tribes and scatters the energy too thinly.
Collaboration, mutual support and pooling of resources could be the
most sustainable avenue now...

Sunrise, in their time of soggy desperation, have teemed up with the
Big Chill. The Big Green Gathering is off this year but in the meantime
is supporting (and being supported by) a few like-minded smaller
festies. Perhaps more such relationships are in the
offing...?

Watch
this space... :-)

MAY
2008

NEWSFLASH!!!
---
Weirdigan
Arrested at Anti-Nuclear Protest! ---

Protesters
locked into concrete cylinders and blockaded Derby Rolls Royce, to
protest at its production of reactor cores for the UK’s
nuclear
deterrent Trident. Ten protesters (including one Weirdigan) were
arrested for 'aggravated trespass' and released on police bail to
appear in court on 22nd May. Unfortunately that clashes with our first
festival of the season so we had to write important-looking letters to
the judiciary to make sure Kristen could be at Knockengorroch with the
rest of us. It worked :)

APRIL
2008

NEWSFLASH!!!
---
Spring
has Sprung ---

The
website is being updated, the nights are getting lighter, the days
are warmer, the calendar is almost full, the crew are in training, the
tents are at the tailors. We still have the odd gap
in
our diaries and we're building up a reserve list of wannabe Weirdigans
in case any of the crew have to drop out; so if you want to book us or
get booked yourselves, email us soon :-)

The
Good Ship Weird prepares to set sail...

MARCH
2008

NEWSFLASH!!!
--- Big Green
Phoenix Slowly Rising ---

After
a winter of hard work, fund-raising, negotiating and soul-searching,
the Big Green Gathering is looking set to rise from the ashes... in
2009. This year will be about rebuilding and renewing, next year the
BGG will be back... To find out what's been going on, or how you can
help, see the October newsflash below and go to www.big-green-gathering.com
for
more info.

NOVEMBER 2007

NEWSFLASH!!!
--- Winter Wanderings ---

Weirdigans will
be wandering and working hither and thither around the UK and Europe
this winter. We'll try to keep the website updated and our email and
snailmail checked regularly. Our phones may not always be switched on
and our communications may be a little delayed, but if you're trying to
get hold of us, don't worry - we will get back to you :-)

OCTOBER
2007

NEWSFLASH!!!
--- Big Green Gathering Crisis ---

The Big Green Gathering
is having a serious financial crisis partly due to a massive ramping up
of licensing and legal costs. BGG is a non-profit-making company with a
lot of good people involved and as far as we're concerned it's right up
there, one of the very best festies on the circuit. It's a proper
gathering of the tribes, a socially and financially important part of
the calendar with a fantastic mix of traditional crafts, new
technologies, creative anarchy, networking, vibrancy and fun. If it
goes under we and a lot of other festie-goers and traders will be
bereft.

Check out www.big-green-gathering.com
for how you can help. Become a share-holder (it costs £40 and
you can then get involved in how BGG runs if you want to). Or send a
donation or offer a loan. We have.

SEPTEMBER
2007

NEWSFLASH!!!
--- Would you like to be a Weirdigan next summer??? ---

We'll be looking
for new crew members to join the merry band of cavorting Weirdies
you've seen in green and muddy fields this year.

Can you wash up,
make tea, bang in tent pegs, heft heavy canvasses, bake cakes, stay up
all night, drive, plant plastic flowers, get up early in the morning,
be a skivvy while wearing sequins, banter with customers, chop veg...or
some of the above? And would you like to work with Weirdigans at one or
more festivals? If so email us, tell us about yourself, and we'll tell
you more about us.

AUGUST
2007

NEWSFLASH!!!
---Sun shines at
last!!!---

We've survived
rivers of mud, floods, almost-cancellations and almost-evacuations at
Glastonbury, Workhouse and Glade. Followed by glorious sun at BGG, NGG
and Solfest. Reviews, pics and comments
are here and up to
date...

JULY
2007

NEWSFLASH!!!
---On The Road---

Weirdigans hit
the road running...

From now on
we'll be in perpetual motion for the rest of the season. We'll be
checking email as often as possible, updating the website with reviews
and photos when we can, and trying to keep our mobile phones charged.
Sorry if you're trying to contact us and experience a delay. If one
method fails, try another. We will get back to you.

Hope to see you
in a field somewhere...

JUNE
2007

NEWSFLASH!!!
--- From www.mutatoes.org ---

"It's not too
late to stop GM spuds. Following extensive local and national
resistance, BASF (the company trialing the GM potatoes), announced that
they will not be conducting a GM potato trial near Hull this year. This
means the BASF/NIAB site in Cambridge (planted around the beginning of
May) is now the only location in Britain where GM crops are
contaminating the countryside… One down, one to go - let's
keep Britain GM free! There's going to be a walk to see the trial site
and a protest picnic, starting noon on Sunday 1st July. Bring costumes,
families, footwear and clothing for a country stroll and your favourite
potato-based dish. Starting from Girton Parish Church, Girton,
Cambridgeshire. See www.mutatoes.org for directions and more detailed
information on the campaign."

Unfortunately
Weirdigans won't be going as we'll be at the Workhouse Festival.

But if you can't get a
ticket to Workhouse...

MAY
2007

NEWSFLASH!!!
--- Organic Bars & Special Tents---

We're growing
new twigs and sprigs this Spring: if you need a quirky bar or tented venue for a
special event, we may be able to provide...

APRIL
2007

NEWSFLASH!!!
--- Campaign against Genetically-Modified Crop Trials---

There are plans
afoot for a German chemicals company to test GM potatoes in the UK this
year. Weirdigans have been involved in campaigning against this. GM
crops potentially threaten the environment, wildlife, our health and
our freedom of choice. Please help us keep them at bay. Write to
supermarkets and politicians. They have the power to allow or prevent
GM crops and foods flooding into the UK. To sign a petition go to http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/notogmspuds

Check out www.mutatoes.org -
this website is very informative. It includes referenced research as
well as a basic overview of the issues and campaigns.

In an attempt to
reduce our impact on climate change we’ve offset Weirdigans
carbon emissions for the year ahead. The money we've paid has gone into
'sustainable energy and forest restoration' projects. The idea is to do
something towards repairing the damage done to the environment by our
driving around and by our use of gas in baking, making drinks and
refrigeration. Our electric for lights and music is solar-powered so is
already green and good. We know offsetting isn't as good as not
consuming in the first place, but we’re trying to keep our
‘footprint’ as light and pixie-like as possible
without vanishing ourselves altogether…